App Store affiliate commission cut is only going to affect in-app purchases after all

Apple announced a couple of weeks ago that it would change its affiliate program, reducing the commission from 7 percent to 2.5 percent on all App Store purchases. Apple has clarified this change, saying that the commission cut is only going to affect in-app purchases after all.

Here’s Apple’s statement:

We’d like to clarify some changes being made to the Affiliate Program. Commissions for all iOS in-app purchases will be reduced from 7% to 2.5% globally, and all other content types (including music, movies, books, paid iOS apps and TV) will remain at the current 7%.

Mac Gamer HQ first noticed that Apple had changed its mind. But it looks like there was more backlash than expected with this change. Many websites from the Apple community rely on this commission for their revenue model.

Every time someone clicks on a link with a referral ID, Apple gives back a tiny portion of the sale to the partner who led to that sale. Developers still get 70 percent of the cost of the app in all cases. Apple is just getting a lower cut.

So it’s still unclear why Apple wants to reduce the commission on in-app purchases. Maybe the company noticed that many developers were using the affiliate program when you tapped on an in-app purchase on your phone so that they could get more money. This isn’t the best experience as you get redirected to the web browser first.

Or maybe there are other upcoming changes. This could be a sign that Apple is about to announce some App Store adjustments at the WWDC conference next month.